Introduction to Unicist Epistemology

The unicist approach to Epistemology is based on the development of logical foundations and empirical justifications to sustain human knowledge. This epistemology is a pragmatic, structural and functionalist approach that allows building reliable knowledge that replaced the processes of the falsification of knowledge by destructive testing processes.

It is based on the Unicist Theory which is a paradigm shift of the scientific approach to complex adaptive systems. This theory provides an approach to complexity based on the use of the unicist logic that emulates the intelligence that underlies nature. It integrated complexity sciences with systemic sciences in a unified field.

The paradigm shift is based on the integration of the “know-how” that underlies the empirical sciences with the “know-why” introduced by the Unicist Theory. The “know why” is needed to deal with the concepts of complex adaptive environments.

It defines that reliable knowledge implies knowing the concepts that underlie facts, which confirm the “know-why”, and the justifications that confirm the “know-how” of the facts.

The integration of the unicist approach to complexity with the empirical sciences requires changing the Theory-Practice learning approach to an Action-Reflection-Action approach that allows apprehending the concepts that underlie facts and transforms them into value adding actions.

This approach integrates the “know why” required to understand complexity with the “know how” needed to generate value.

The History of Knowledge

A) The first stage of collective knowledge was covered by religions, that provided the “WHAT” was acceptable as necessary knowledge. In the times when the knowledge was based on religious beliefs, the emulation of nature was a heresy.

B) The second stage was provided by the development of empirical sciences that provided the “KNOW HOW” to deal with the environment. In the era of empirical sciences, the emulation of nature was a utopia.

C) The last stage was the inclusion of the “KNOW WHY”, which required the comprehension of the nature of things and was provided by the unicist approach to complexity sciences. The emulation of nature became possible in the era where complexity became manageable by emulating the logic that underlies nature. This is the unicist paradigm shift in sciences.

The paradigm shift was triggered by the need to understand complex adaptive systems. The shift implies having changed the empirical approach to sciences replacing it by a pragmatic, structuralist and functionalist approach to deal with complex environments that integrates, at an operational level, the preexisting empiricism.

This is a superior level in sciences that integrates complexity sciences with systemic sciences using the double-dialectical logic to emulate the ontogenetic intelligence of nature and using objects to emulate the organization of nature.

The Paradigm Shift in Sciences

The emulation of nature requires having an adaptive behavior in the environment. Adapting requires: 1) exerting influence in the environment; 2) managing the influence of the environment. It requires using the conjunction “and” without using the disjunction “or”.

The unicist paradigm shift is based on the integration of the “KNOW-HOW” that underlies the empirical sciences with the “KNOW-WHY” introduced by the Unicist Theory. It defines that to access reliable knowledge it is necessary to know the concepts that underlie facts, which confirm the “KNOW-WHY”, and the justifications that confirm the “KNOW-HOW” of those facts.

The paradigm shift in sciences made the complex adaptive systems become reasonable, understandable and predictable. This paradigm shift allowed defining what is possible to be achieved and not only approaching reality with a probabilistic approach.

The shift in sciences is a pragmatic, structural and functionalist approach that subordinates the preexisting empirical approaches. It integrates the observable facts with the “nature of things”.